Some stories, like seeds planted in fertile ground, become more real, more memorable, when nurtured. Then, thanks to curiosity and subsequent experience, they flourish with each revisiting, becoming finely woven tapestries steeped in depth and complexity.

First visit

Such were my thoughts regarding Our Lady of Consolation in Vattmann, TX since January 11, 2011, when, thanks to the Texas Tropical Trail Region (TTTR) monthly outing, we were treated to the history of this quiet, little church community southeast of Kingsville.

Our hosts came across as a hardy lot: resilient, independent yet mutually supportive of each other, and wholeheartedly invested in their rural hamlet. Their rich family histories were fascinating; but church was their life-giving core, honored above all.

Listening to the presentations, I gleaned that Vattmann’s mission in life (imbued innately, it seemed) was to know its history by heart and support its cherished sacred space— the latter through an annual fundraiser, the Thanksgiving picnic and country store— to keep the tiny unincorporated town alive and well for future generations.

Naturally, I wanted to experience this incredible, almost century-old tradition; but Steven wasn’t too keen on foregoing his very own turkey with all the trimmings at home. So my wish quietly percolated as I patiently waited.

Second visit

Between 2011 and 2016, I thought about Our Lady of Consolation Church a lot. Since we travel regularly to and from the Rio Grande Valley, I asked Steven if we could stop by King’s Inn for lunch “the next time.”

Thursday morning, March 31, 2016, we discovered that the road to the restaurant went past the church, too. So, after lunch we stopped, took photos, and chatted a while with Maria, who takes Communion to the homebound in the parish.

“I hadn’t planned to come by church today, but I’m glad I did,” she said.

We talked about prayer and God’s wisdom. “He placed us on each other’s paths for a reason.” We agreed and exchanged email addresses to stay in touch.

On our drive back from the valley Saturday afternoon, we stopped for lunch in Kingsville. “Do you think Mother Julia’s chapel is nearby?” I asked. “I’m curious to see how the Sisters’ project turned out.”

Never mind that I took photos through the holes in the chain-link fence because the chapel and the gift shop were closed. The place was totally different from six years earlier when Sister Maxie had shared her dream with the TTTR group, December 21, 2010.

We were so impressed!

Within three days’ time, Steven and I had visited two sacred spaces that I’d previously written about. “I have so much to email Maria about when we get home.”

Only I was even more amazed by her response.

Maria volunteers at Mother Julia’s gift shop, so she works closely with Sister Maxie. And now we have more in common than before, thanks to our impromptu meeting at Our Lady of Consolation.

Third visit

Bill and Robin invited us to their family’s Thanksgiving gathering, but Steven held out hope that our youngest son would join us for dinner. Still, we knew that we’d do our usual— attend morning Mass; spend a leisurely day at home; watch football; and enjoy a quiet, intimate meal all by ourselves. But that was before viewing Michael Gibson’s “Vattmann Thanksgiving picnic” on the evening news (KIII, November 21, 2016).

“I’ve wanted to attend for the past five years,” I reminded Steven. “It’d be great to go, even if just once.”

Knowing Steven, he had his heart on fixing Thanksgiving dinner at home. No rush, no fuss with traffic or lines, lots of football viewing, and eating to his heart’s content at will. He’d started his pre-planning in October and had been adding to his grocery list day by day. So he was ready to take on the bird and all the trimmings. Never mind that these other delectable options had cropped up.

Still, I really, really wanted to experience Vattmann on Thanksgiving Day. And Michael’s piece three days before had to have worked its magic because Wednesday afternoon Steven suggested that we “stop by St. Paul’s for ten o’clock Mass on our way south.”

Vattmann Thanksgiving

During Mass I thought about Father Stembler, pastor at St. Paul’s before his transfer to St. Gertrude’s in Kingsville. I wondered how he was doing, especially since his dad had passed away late September. We’d been out-of-state so hadn’t attended the memorial Mass in October. But I had every intention of writing to him, so I mentally penned a letter to our beloved joyful priest on the drive to Vattmann.

And whom should I see as we approached the path to turn left onto the church parking area?Father Stembler, all smiles, waving us along! Unbelievable!

If this was God’s way of letting me know that we’d chosen wisely in attending the picnic at Our Lady of Consolation, the rest was bound to be unforgettable.

I was able to spend a bit of time with Father Stembler as we all stood waiting in line. He even hammed it up for my Coolpix! And Bishop Carmody was there, too. We love that he married us at the cathedral. How special was that? Two for one.

What an uplifting experience! So many wonderful parishioners heeding the call of service! So many happy faces engaged in outdoor activities, feasting on Thanksgiving dinner, buying all kinds of goodies at the country store, and just-plain conversing with each other in little clusters here and there.

For Steven and me, the ladies at the country store made our day. Gwen told us the story of Jan’s husband, Stan, who made all the wooden crosses on display before he died November 8, 2016. “He wanted to vote more than anything, and he did.”

Then she gave us a very special pass to the workroom where the ladies meet, February through November, to turn cast-offs into treasures. And, while there, we met Jan and Betty, sweet ladies whose smiles and stories delighted us beyond imagining. “Santa’s magical elves in Santa’s workshop,” Steven called them.

Of course, the ladies behind the pay-out counter were very nice, too. One in particular smiled so blissfully— like a kid in a candy shop— that I wished I could’ve gotten to know her better.

Above all, however, I was grateful for my not-so-alone time spent in church.

As I took photos of the beautiful sacred space for the third time, I was taken by the perfectly lit stained-glass windows; the cheerful ambiance graced by impeccably painted walls and icons; and the thoughtful visitors who came and went, paying their respects lovingly as they sat, knelt, or walked about lightly in total reverence.

What a gift to be in the presence of God with these joyful hearts!

I melted within as I gave thanks and praise for my gifts and talents shared with others.

Country store

Thanksgiving picnic

Afterthoughts

Seeing the posted photos from our Thanksgiving in Vattmann, Steven typed a comment for the blog.

“Ooh!Nice! May I include your thoughts in the post itself?”

“Sure!”

So, you may say, you had Thanksgiving dinner with a few thousand total strangers is a crowded parish hall and you call that a good time?

The answer is a resounding yes.

The long line moved fast; and everyone was friendly, chatting with each other, interested in how far each had come. The priest who facilitated our marriage and the now-retired bishop who performed the ceremony at the Corpus Christi Cathedral were there, too.

The picnic was incredibly well-organized, and the family style serving worked better than anyone could expect as helpers in high-visibility orange vests waved new arrivals to empty seats. And the food kept coming! If you left hungry, it was your fault.

There was the rattle of constant gunfire at a skeet range set up behind the hall. We saw several sharpshooters carrying away prize turkeys. The Knights of Columbus were there with a raffle, and the kids had another one going as well.

Lots was going on; but the real deal for us was the country store, which displayed ornaments of all kinds, pot holders, statues, wall crosses, and other delightful items in an irresistible Christmas setting.

Since we were friendly and Deli was taking photos, we earned a very special pass to Santa’s workshop where the ladies shared some of their stories. To prepare for the annual fundraiser, they work their Christmas elf magic ten months every year.

So, next Thanksgiving, why not do something different? Head on into Texas brush country for a fun, friendly, bountiful dinner. Help the fine folks in Vattmann, TX raise money for Our Lady of Consolation Church.

You’ll be glad you did!

Prayers

Almighty Father, you are lavish in bestowing all your gifts and we give you thanks for the favors you have given us. In your goodness you have favored us and kept us safe…. We ask that you continue to protect us and shelter us in the shadow of your wings. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Father all-powerful, your gifts of love are countless and your goodness infinite. As we come before you on Thanksgiving Day with gratitude for your kindness, open our hearts to have concern for every man, woman, and child so that we may share your gifts in loving service. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

December 7, 2016

Whatever mission God gives us, no matter how common it may appear, carries within it our potential sainthood. What God asks of us during our lifetime is the most appropriate and suitable means to our growth in holiness— whether our lives remain ordinary or take an extraordinary turn (Julie Onderko in Discover Your Next Mission From God).

December 9, 2016

“The work of life is to tend the divine fire of holiness that has been kindled within against every breath that may endanger it; and every holy deed and thought helps to feed and fan the flame” (Basil W. Maturin in Christian Self-Mastery).

December 14, 2016

“In the evening of life we will be judged on love alone” (St. John of the Cross).

December 21, 2016

“We plant seeds that will flower as results in our lives; so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt, that peace and abundance may manifest for all” (Dorothy Day).

December 22, 2016

“If you wish to take up your abode in the tabernacle of the heavenly kingdom, you must reach there through your good works without which you cannot hope to enter”
(St. Benedict).

December 27, 2016

Know that God speaks to you and that, when God does, your assigned task, whatever it is, regardless of how modest it appears in the eyes of the world, takes on eternal importance (Kerry Walters in Perfect Joy).

January 6, 2017

“Be a soul of love in order to become an apostle and you will discover a very beautiful thing: that at the bank of love, the more you give, the richer you become” (Fr. Jean C. J. d’Elbée in I Believe in Love).

January 28, 2017

“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship” (St. Thomas Aquinas).

February 23, 2017

“Let us, therefore, forsake the vanity of the crowd and their false teachings and turn back to the word delivered to us from the beginning” (St. Polycarp).

April 3, 2017

“It is far better to do a few things well than to start many good works and leave them half-done” (St. Francis de Sales).

May 5, 2017

“Nothing liberates our greatness like the desire to help, the desire to serve” (Marianne Williamson).

May 20, 2017

“Thus a true sacrifice is every work which is done that we may be united to God in holy fellowship and which has a reference to that supreme good and end in which alone we can be truly blessed” (St. Augustine).

July 7, 2017

We all long for happiness, but we might be settling for merely existing because we have grown comfortable thinking that total autonomy and satisfying our immediate needs and desires are all we can hope for. Scripture and the teachings of the Church tell us that there is so much more for us to do here on earth and eventually in heaven.

See how many scripture verses you can find about finding true and lasting joy. Spend some time reflecting on how your life compares with what God promises. Get out your journal and write about how your actions and view of the world may be preventing you from having that abundant life (Teresa Tomeo in Beyond Me, My Selfie & I).

July 9, 2017

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light (Matthew 11:28-30).

September 18, 2017

It is in work that we find the test of our relationship to the creation because work is the question of how we will use the creation. For Berry, work done well brings us into a wholeness and cooperation with the creation in which we can find health. Bad work destroys the connections that make life possible. For Berry, good work is like a prayer— it is an act of both gratitude and return. Good work accepts the gifts of creation and uses those gifts to further their givenness. There are seeds that lie for decades in the soil, waiting for the right conditions before springing to life. Good work is that which creates the conditions for such life to burst forth from the whole of the creation (Wendell Berry and the Given Life).

For more than five years I held onto a heartfelt wish: to revisit Our Lady of Consolation in Vattmann, TX. Only I had no idea where the town was other than off Highway 77, which we travel to and from Brownsville with regularity.

Our Lady of Consolation

On one of our trips south to the valley, I asked Steven if he would treat me to lunch at King’s Inn. And he agreed.

From the road I spotted a red brick structure. “Is that Our Lady of Consolation Church?”

“It must be. I’m surprised it’s on the way to King’s Inn.”

Happy day! What a perfect opportunity to take photos after lunch.

Unexpected detours

And the best part about stopping at church? We met Maria, a sweet, soulful woman with connections to Sr. Maxie at Mother Julia’s Chapel and Museum in Kingsville. Absolutely amazing, considering that we had no idea then that we’d take an unexpected detour to Kingsville (where I took more photos) on our way home three days later.

Morning offering… O Jesus, through the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your sacred heart in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world; in thanksgiving for your favors; in reparation for my sins; for the intentions of all my relatives and friends; and, in particular, for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

May 24, 2016

“As a mother feels no disgust in dressing the sores of her child, so Mary, the heavenly infirmarian, never refuses to care for sinners who have recourse to her” (St. Alphonsus).

June 4, 2016

Dearest Mother, please look on your people who confidently honor you as their mother [and long] for your help and consolation. Bless us in your heart, comfort us in our pains, stand by us in all distress, show us Jesus after our death (St. Hildegard of Bingen).

June 10, 2016

“Let us ask Our Lady’s help today in living our own dedication to the full, in whatever state God has placed us, in accordance with the specific vocation we have received from the Lord” (Fr. Francis Fernandez Carvajal).

As part of our TX Tropical Trail Region (TTTR) outing in January, we visited Vattmann, an unincorporated community off Highway 77 at the intersection of farm to market roads 626 and 772, just sixteen miles southeast of Kingsville.

The big attraction was Our Lady of Consolation Church (OLCC), which was dedicated in 1920 and remains the heart and soul of its surroundings.

Morning presentation

Our TTTR group began its tour in the parish hall, which includes the original church schoolhouse that changed as the size of its student population grew and subsequently became a community center.

Ms. Goldia Hubert, a member of OLCC, shared both historic and anecdotal information about life on the “tracts of land” (not a town) that comprise Vattmann.

In 1907, Theodore F. Koch, a Minnesotan, was among those who purchased land from the 86,000 acres offered by the King Ranch for the purpose of populating South Texas (Kleberg County: The TXGenWeb Project, 1996-2011).

Koch founded Riviera and used the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railway to entice potential buyers and settlers to the area. Koch also met with Father Edward J. Vattmann, secretary of the Catholic Colonization Society of America, to encourage Catholic families to move there.

The first German family from Westphalia, TX was joined by Edward J. May, who bought forty acres in 1908 before the arrival of more German families from Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio (Coalson with the Texas State Historical Association, 2011).

A rose by any other name

The settlement, Vattmannville, honoring the priest who started the movement to South Texas in 1914, later shortened the name to Vattmann.

“The town [sic] was first called Vattmannville, [sic] but the second ‘n’ was later deleted” (Bigger-Cantu in the Kingsville Record and Bishop News online, 2009).

TTTR also has the site listed as Vattman; but most of the sources I checked show the site’s name ending in nn; so that’s what I’ve chosen to use. My prerogative, as I’m an old school South Texan who also adheres to the original pronunciation of, say, Riviera (Ree-vee-eh-ra, not Ree-veh-ra [Rivera]) and Refugio (Re-foo-hee-o, third and fourth syllables as one [hyo], instead of Re-foo-ree-oh).

Annual Thanksgiving feast

For the past ninety-six years, Vattmann has hosted a fall fundraiser.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1914 in a grove of mesquites [sic] beside a small lake directly behind the present location of the Vernie Hubert home. A platform constructed in front of the picnic area concluded the activities that evening with a dance held under the star with local musicians participating in the orchestra (Bigger-Cantu, 2009).

The yearly event hosts a country store, which sells arts and crafts made by the OLCC Women’s Club to benefit Our Lady of Consolation Church.

“We paint anything that stands still,” said Gwen Rudellat, one of the members. Club members began meeting [ten] years ago. This spring they began meeting on a weekly basis to work on their creative projects to sell at the thanksgiving. At least five or six women meet regularly all year long (Bigger-Cantu).

Best of all, the Vattmann holiday tradition, which includes various activities, games, and music played until midnight, is open to anyone interested in joining the community in a historic, fun-filled day.